The Digital Photo Guy

FREE Topaz Labs Webinar – Registration Open

The much anticipated Topaz Labs webinar is now open for registration. Follow this LINK to the registration page. Registration is optional but, without registering, you are not guaranteed a seat at the webinar. Also, registration gives you the option to enter the door prize drawings. NB – There are two (2) lines for drawing numbers. Be sure to fill in both. Otherwise, it’s like losing 50% of your chances.

What: Demo ReMask3 and Adjust4 plus overview of all Topaz Products
Who: Ashley Robinson, Topaz Labs & The Digital Photo Guy
When: Thursday, Dec 16 at Noon Central Time (1PM EST, 11AM MST, 10AM PST)
Where: Webinar URL will be e-mailed to registered attendees
Why: If you have to ask…

If you choose not to register, the webinar URL will be posted on the registration page 5 minutes before the webinar starts assuming there are open seats. If it’s not there, all the seats are taken.

Please feel free to post this information on other photography & photoshop sites you frequent as well as any social media sites. We have about 30 seats remaining of 50.

Here are some examples of Topaz Adjust4, ranging from the mild to wild.

Evaluating the Value of Magazines

Looking through a recent issue of Photoshop User magazine, the official rag of NAPP (National Association of Photoshop Professionals), I was struck with the breakdown of the contents. A quick count of every page from front cover to the back cover yields 46 pages of ads out of 120 total pages (38%). Another 10½ pages (9%) is dedicated to overhead (Table of Contents, Title pages, masthead, index, etc). The remaining 63½ pages are allocated as follows: 9½ pages (8%) for reviews & press releases, 25 pages (21%) is dedicated to graphics techniques not applicable to most photographers, 15 pages (13%) of material that straddles both graphics & photography (tablets, Help Desk, Q&A, Beginner’s Tips, etc) and 9 pages (8%) applicable directly to digital photography. The remaining 6½ pages (5%) cover LightRoom, useful if you have LR but definitely not part of every workflow.

Outdoor Photographer magazine for that same month has 132 pages including the front and back covers. Of these, 70 pages (53%) are ads. The remaining 63 pages are divided as follows: Overhead 5.33 pages (4%), profiles/showcases 19.33 pages (15%), reviews/PR 10.66 pages (8%) and 20.66 pages (16%) direct, actionable photography related articles. The remaining 4% are subtle infomercials.

The last magazine I analyzed was Photoshop Elements Techniques, a beginner’s guide to PSE. I typically disassemble this magazine upon arrival, scan the pages of interest and discard the rest. I believe the current issues are about 36 pages but the only intact one I could find was 32 pages from late 2009. This magazine only has 1 ad on the back cover, 3 pages of overhead including the front cover and 28 pages of actionable articles. The articles comprise 16 pages (50%) on graphics/crafts and 12 pages (38%) digital photography related. Although this is a much higher percentage, the total pages dedicated to digital photography related articles is much less than the other two.

So, what does all this mean? My point is that we pay for a lot of “stuff” that’s not very useful or relevant to us as photographers. On a per page basis, I pay about 51¢ for a page of useful info in Photoshop User Magazine, 6.6¢ for Outdoor Photographer and 82¢ with Photoshop Elements Techniques. Think about your ROI before shelling out hard earned cash because not everthing is as useful as it may frst appear.

Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Program

The previous VMMT about PSE9 was preempted by PSE8 interface features since I was upgrading from PSE7 and hadn’t yet seen or tested PSE8. In this video, I’ll wrap up with a look at one final PSE8 interface feature carried over from PS CS4. Then, we’ll move on to the two biggies introduced in PSE9, Content Aware Healing and Layer Masks.

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Pin-Up Model Photoshoot – Jan 16

On Sunday, January 16 from 10AM to 1PM, I will be shooting pin-up models at Deer Park Winery. If you’d like to join me, the cost is just $25 plus $8 museum entry fee. All the money goes to the models since I’m not about to ask these great gals to spend 3 hours of their weekend posing for nothing. There are just 5 spots so reserve your spot quickly. To reserve at spot, e-mail me and I’ll send directions for sending payment. Once the models are confirmed, there are no refunds. There will be 1 to 3 models at the shoot.

There won’t be any formal instruction but, as always, you can borrow any of my gear that isn’t in use. The intent for you, the students, is to gain experience directing models and shooting under studio conditions.

Topaz Labs Announces InFocus

Topaz Labs has released InFocus, a sharpening tool that promises to change the way we sharpen digital photos. All digital images benefit from sharpening because of the way digital works. Until now, the “go-to” tools were either Unsharp Mask, a good but confusing tool or various 3rd party tools of varying efficacy. Now, InFocus promises to make digital image sharpening a simple task.

Until December 3, Topaz Labs is offering InFocus for an amazing $29.99, a discount of $40 off the regular price. Use the discount code “supersharp” when ordering. For other Topaz Labs products, use the code “digitalphotoguy” for a 15% discount.

Disclaimer: I have no financial interest in Topaz Labs and receive no remuneration from Topaz Labs.

If You Can’t Dazzle ’em With Your Brilliance

Baffle ’em with Photoshop Elements. Obviously, in-camera is the best way to make high-key photos but, you may have noticed, not all photos are made in studios. Some are made inside dark, cluttered places where it’s tough just to set up a backdrop, never mind controlling the light.

Technically, this isn’t a candidate for high-key based on some definitions. In true high-key, Tina would be wearing pastels or whites, no dark colors. OK, so much for technicalities. The following video shows how you can achieve this look with Photoshop Elements.

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Flash in a Flash

In advance of the Flash Photography Workshop at Deer Park Winery and Auto Museum on November 13, here’s a quick MMT covering the basics of flash. I can’t cover all the details that normally take 4 hours but this will get you started.

Canon currently has two primary dedicated flashes, the 430EX II (US$280, above)and the 580EX II (US$445, below). The main differences between the two besides price are power (430 = GN43 vs 580 = GN58) and Master Mode. In multi-flash situations, the 430EX can only be used as a Slave while the 580EX II can be a Master or Slave. Is the 580EX II worth an extra US$165? Probably not unless you’re into flash photography. Having said that, my recommendation is to always buy the biggest, baddest flash you can afford as your first flash.

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Easy-Peasy, Lemon Squeezy

Learning Phooshop and Photoshop Elements isn’t rocket science but it’s not quite like falling off a log either. There are definite steps you need to master before you can advance to more complex techniques. Today’s Video MMT tackles the Dodge, Burn and Sponge Tools, a trio of useful but klutzy tools that require a delicate touch. A lot of people say the Dodge and Burn Tools in PSE are lame but it’s really a matter of what you’re trying to do. The power of PS and PSE lies in the fact that there are many ways to do the same thing and which tool you use depends on the photo, what you’re trying to accomplish and your skill level.

Like many MMT and VMMT ideas, this was triggered by a student question after a recent Wild Animal Park Photoshoot Workshop. After the workshop, he e-mailed a photo (left, below) and asked for my critique.

I quickly hit it with Topaz Labs Adjust 3 (center, above) and explained how I toned down the bright highlights and pumped up the saturation of the meerkat to increase contrast from the background. He then wanted to know how to do the same in PSE so I edited the 3rd photo (right, above) using just tools in PSE. Today’s VMMT explains how I did that.
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